


Summer Time

by t_shirt



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Angst, Fluff. WAFF, M/M, attempted rape of a minor but Hiiro kicks his ass!, mention of lemon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:20:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23273098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_shirt/pseuds/t_shirt
Summary: A young man takes a step into his past only to discover his future.
Relationships: 1x2 - Relationship, bg 3x4, mention of 5xM
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Summer Time

AU/Romance  
1x2, bg 3x4, mention of 5xM  
Fluff. WAFF *grin*, angst, attempted rape of a minor (but Hiiro kicks his ass!), mention of lemon

Summary: A young man takes a step into his past only to discover his future.

He couldn’t believe it had been three years. The winding road still looked the same as he drove up Silverhead Mountain. The air was sweet with the heavy scent of the massive pinewood forest, the trees standing in their silent vigil as if awaiting his return, but the road was a lot smoother under his seat than it had been when forced to endure the trip in the backseat of an ancient, diesel bus. 

**

_“Old man goat just ain’t what he used to be… ain’t what he used to be… ain’t what he used to be…”_

_“It’s old grey mare!”_

_“What’dyu know!”_

_“Carlton! Settle down!” Sally shouted over the cacophony of excited children while she wrestled the rattling old bus around the next corner._

_“Quatre! Catch!”_

_“No!” he gasped, ducking just in time to evade the water balloon Duo had pitched at him, but came up with the most god awful expression of ‘oh shit’ when he realized Trowa had taken a direct hit in the face._

_“You’re going down,” the tall boy declared, jumping from his seat to scramble after Duo, but he darted for the front and the safety of Sally’s side._

_“Sit down!” she snapped, narrowly evading a fallen limb in the road._

_Duo stuck his tongue out at Trowa who narrowed his eyes in a promise of revenge while he wrung out his long fall of bangs._

_“Shit!” Sally grumbled, glancing apologetically to her passengers when they ‘oooo’ed and teased her for the slip when she ran over a rock that had apparently tumbled into the road during the last storm._

_Every bottom on the bus bounced high into the air, some children squealing with delight while others squawked in fear or surprise, but one Chinese boy merely guided his butt back into his seat and took back up where he’d left off in his book._

_“You gonna read all summer again?” Duo grinned, not daring to return to the back of the bus where Trowa waited._

_“Perhaps if you picked up a book now and then you’re speech pattern would improve,” Wufei replied haughtily while he turned a page._

_“I read,” Duo shrugged, moving out of the way of Carlton’s spitball that was meant for Shelly, but hit Sally in the back of the head. “Hey,” he smiled suddenly, staring anxiously into the back of the bus. “Do you know who the new guy is?”_

_“No,” Wufei replied succinctly._

_“But he’s foreign like you, ain’t he?” Duo pouted out, daring another glance at the strangely quite boy sitting in the very last seat. His eyes were trained on the landscape outside, but Duo couldn’t shake the feeling that he was watching…everything._

_“I have no idea who he is,” Wufei reiterated in annoyance. “Why don’t you go ask him?”_

_Duo’s eyes shifted to Trowa who was eyeing him intently while Quatre sat next to him and talked with Kelly in the seat in front of them. “We’ll find out at camp,” he reasoned, content to keep his skin for a little while longer._

**

Not so long ago he thought while he maneuvered around a fallen stone in the road. The bus would be arriving just about that time, but he had the foresight to wait long enough that the initial arrival would be over beforehand. He smiled, recalling what a disaster that had been. 

**

_“Everyone here?” Noin asked while the last of the children piled out of the bus._

_“Sound off!” Sally shouted but the usual roll call was not forthcoming. “Where’s Hiiro?” she asked, looking the pack of anxious kids over, but not finding him until she looked back toward the bus. “Hiiro!” she yelled over the rising den. “Start roll call!”_

_“One,” the new boy stated, seeming bored with the entire affair until Duo suddenly blurted…_

_“TWO!” while he grinned with the sort of excitement that can only be found in a thirteen year old’s eyes._

_Hiiro regarded him warily while Trowa took up the call shouting, “Three!” followed by Quatre’s four and Wufei’s five._

_By the time Carlton sounded off and the crew was accounted for, most had lost their patience and turned their attention to more entertaining thoughts. Such as Kelly’s discussion with Shelly about who was going to accompany them to the Moonlight Dance at the end of the summer. Burk, a young man who had spent a good deal of the previous summer either locked in the outhouse or tethered to a tree, was doing his best to avoid having a lizard shoved down his pants by Carlton and his friend James, but it was Trowa’s sudden possession of the garden hose that sent the assembly into screaming fits when he turned it on Duo, who used any and every available body to shield himself from the vicious retaliation until he unwittingly reached for the new boy and suddenly found himself seized and held fast while Trowa soaked him through and through._

_“TROWA!”_

_Sally’s furious roar caused the tall acrobat to abandon his weapon and dash off with Quatre hot on his heals while the rest of the kids went every which way and Duo was summarily released, turning to sputter and drip before Hiiro, but he was stunned to find a huge grin adorning his face._

_“You know I owe you one?” Duo asked while his eyes twinkled merrily and Hiiro swallowed, but that was the only sign of a response. “I’m Duo,” he offered anyway, not bothering to step away before he shook his soggy bangs out._

_“H…Hiiro,” the new boy replied calmly, wiping the chilly droplets from his face._

**

What a crazy day that had been. Hiiro smiled when he rounded the last turn on the little, switchback road that led to Camp Widehesash, chuckling when three boys rocketed past his sleek car in their effort to escape Sally’s wrath. She hadn’t changed at all. Her hair was even in the same style, curling defiantly along her neck while she nabbed one of the scurrying boys and dragged him off toward the main cabin. 

Again he wondered at the passage of time while he parked and exited his car, stopping to look the place over. It struck him how fast kids grow between the ages of thirteen and seventeen when he compared himself to the adolescent playfulness of the children all around him. Some were merely walking but talking excitedly amongst themselves while others had completely abandoned their senses, running here and there, tumbling on the leaf covered ground or antagonizing the less fortunate with practical jokes that would no doubt rebound on them before the summer was over. He chuckled, knowing all too well that no one was safe from pre-pubescent revenge. 

**

_Camp had not been the social awakening his mentor had hoped it would be. Hiiro sat on a rock quietly contemplating the behavior of a frolicking blackbird when his keen senses became aware of the soft sound of a footfall behind him. He smirked knowing very well it was Duo trying to exact his revenge again, but he’d stopped him twice already and he knew he could do it again. Curious as to what the braided maniac had in mind this time he held his ground waiting for the right moment to act. His lips curled on one side when he picked up the sound of movement to his left and prepared to retaliate, but when he turned and lunged all he discovered was the terrified, furry little face of a frightened raccoon that scampered off into the woods. Feeling oddly disappointed he turned to go back to his rock and ran headlong into a young lady with honey blond hair._

_“Oh, thank you!” she gasped, flinging her arms around his neck and he froze in utter horror until he saw Duo standing in a bush not far away. “You saved me!” the girl gushed, grinning adoringly when she pulled away, but his eyes were trained on the huge, demonic grin that was plastered on Duo’s face. “You’re so, very brave!” she praised, utterly unaware of Duo’s sudden, silent laugher when Hiiro flushed scarlet and pushed her away. “That beast was about to eat me!” she wailed, causing Hiiro to grimace at the high pitch of her voice. He was forced to endure her simpering while Duo giggled so hard he doubled up, then caught his breath and laid a finger to the side of his nose before he disappeared._

**

Hiiro shivered when he remembered the young lady and how she’d chased him all over camp. She hadn’t been on the bus with everyone else, arriving fashionably late in a long, Pepto-Bismol pink limo that made his eyes hurt and his stomach ache just to look at. Still, he couldn’t help laughing when he thought about how thoroughly Duo had gotten him back. 

“Hey, mister! You lost?” 

He turned to find a young lady smiling happily up at him, her bright eyes providing a window back to a simpler time in his mind and he smiled. “Do you know where Zechs is?” 

Her big eyes sparkled dreamily and he laughed quietly recalling that the expression had adorned every female’s face anytime the handsome counselor’s name came up. “No,” she replied rather sulkily. “But Miss Sally is helping the newbies get settled over on Bluebird Lane.”

“Thanks,” he smiled, turning his toes in the direction of the only place he’d ever stayed in the camp. 

Bluebird Lane was nothing more than a well worn trail that meandered between the cabins where the newest recruits would be housed. He remembered well the day he’d been shown to Bluebird cabin 1A and his confusion over having discovered Duo in the top bunk.

**

_“What are you doing here?” Hiiro grumbled, tossing his duffle onto the bottom bunk._

_“We’re bunkmates!” Duo beamed, hanging his head upside down off the side of the top bunk._

_Hiiro grimaced crossly when his thick braid fell down and smacked him in the side of the head, pushing it out of the way so he could sit down. “Why do you get the top?”_

_“’Cause I’m Cabin Master,” Duo grinned. “It’s my third year so they stuck me in here to help you newbies learn the ropes.”_

_“I don’t need your help,” Hiiro deadpanned, tucking his bag under the bed._

_“You know where the john is?” Duo snorted, flipping his feet over his head to land with a resounding thud on the floor before his companion._

_“What?” Hiiro grumbled._

_“There aren’t any bathrooms in the cabins,” Duo pointed out, smiling impishly when Hiiro looked around and found it to be true. “I could show you, but since you don’t need any help you could always just hold it all summer.”_

_“I’m sure I can find it,” Hiiro countered._

_Duo nodded. “But can you find the boys’? Colton likes to switch the signs,” he chuckled, watching the slight shift of concern in Hiiro’s eyes before dancing out the door and into the fray of other children._

_Hiiro lasted most of the day, but inevitably ended up standing in front of the two outhouses trying to discern which he should actually use. He hadn’t seen anyone go in either of them all day and was quickly running out of options when a young, blond boy suddenly slammed into him, almost knocking him off his feet._

_“S…sorry!” he giggled, going pale when he saw the indignant eyes of the new boy scowling angrily, but before Hiiro could push him away there was suddenly a strong hand in his chest shoving him back so hard he broke through the outhouse door falling in a splintered crash._

_When he looked up with his expression one of ‘seek and destroy’ he was taken aback by the righteous light that was shining in Trowa’s eyes, the way he had huddled Quatre behind him and his complete disregard of his cross reprimand, revealing more than Hiiro was capable of understanding, so he simply stood and watched Trowa silently lead his friend away._

_“Don’t worry,” Wufei advised, stepping up to his side. “He’s always like that.”_

_“I wasn’t trying to hurt him,” Hiiro explained._

_“I know,” Wufei snorted. “Trowa’s weird that way, but Quatre will explain it to him.”_

_The entire mood was changed when Duo suddenly scampered by with several other kids laughing and carrying on, stopping only for a moment to grin, “Hey! You found the crapper after all!”_

_Hiiro sighed while he watched him bound away laughing merrily only catching Wufei’s quiet chuckle when he walked away._

**

He smiled quietly while he made his way through the camp, recognizing this and that. There was the mess hall, a huge building with three long tables running its length. Then the counselors’ cabins and the seniors’ quarters passed by before he saw the little sign that had been nailed to a tree reading Bluebird Lane and his feet slowed. He could see it all in his mind so clearly, but it was coming too fast to make any sense. He closed his eyes, trying to slow the images that danced in his mind, visions of the lake and boys splashing about, long nights when the crickets would sing so loudly you could talk quietly with your friends and no one could hear, but through it all one constant remained. In every memory were the shining eyes of Duo Maxwell. 

“Hiiro?” 

His eyes snapped open as a rush filled his chest, but his mind still didn’t believe it when the image in his mind was standing nearby. “Is that you?” Duo chuckled, evading getting creamed by a racing little girl while he came closer. Hiiro clenched his teeth, having not been prepared for this contingency. He tried to calm his heart, but the closer he came the more unstable he felt. “Hey, man,” Duo smiled, sending a wave of fluttering energy down Hiiro’s throat. “What brings you to Silverhead?”

Desperate for something to say that wouldn’t come out sounding hopelessly lame, Hiiro grasped the only subject that came to mind when he saw the name tag on Duo’s shirt. “You’re a counselor now?”

“Yeah,” Duo snorted. “Go figure, huh?" 

Damn it! He looked so good it was making it hard to think. He hadn’t changed much, but what had changed was definitely an improvement. His face was longer, but the nose was the same. He couldn’t remember his lashes being quite that long or the curve of his neck having that supple bend. His hair was considerably longer too, dangling to mid-thigh instead of stopping at his lower back, but the smile…that was exactly the same. 

“Is there something I can help you with?” Duo asked, looking a tad off balance and Hiiro clenched his teeth against the blush that was trying to take over his face while he explained. 

“Zechs.” Duo’s left brow rose in amused inquiry while Hiiro lost the battle of the blush. “I need to speak with Zechs,” Hiiro clarified, wondering where his intelligence had suddenly run off to. 

“He’s in town,” Duo informed him. “We had a girl arrive without her allergy prescription, so he had to take her to the pharmacy to get a refill,” he explained. “But he should be back shortly. You wanna get something to drink?”

There was a warmth that invaded his soul whenever Duo stood by his side, a warmth he remember all too well as he fell into step beside him for the first time in three years. 

**

_“It wasn’t my fault,” Duo sulked, crossing his arms defiantly._

_“You may not have started it, but you simply cannot bury your campmates up to their necks in the woods,” Zechs sighed tolerantly._

_“He tried to cut my hair,” Duo grumbled._

_“And you stopped him,” Zechs reminded him. “That should have been sufficient…”_

_“That prick’s been hounding me all summer!” Duo growled. “He had it comin!”_

_“Duo…”_

_“If he ever touches me again I’ll bury him upside down next time!” Duo shouted, hitting the door so hard it bounced three times before he disappeared into the woods._

_He didn’t slow down until he was on the other side of the lake and his lungs burned, but the moment his feet stopped he became instantly aware of his shadow. “What’dyu want?!”_

_“Are you all right?” Hiiro asked, stepping cautiously from behind a tree._

_“No!” Duo barked, but quickly lost the animosity in his voice while he sank to the ground. “I’m not gonna apologize to that jerk!”_

_“I don’t blame you,” Hiiro nodded, coming closer._

_“He put a night skink in my bed!”_

_“I remember,” Hiiro chuckled, sitting down in front of him._

_“It’s not funny,” Duo grumbled._

_“Why’s he so mean to you?”_

_“I dunno,” Duo shrugged. “We used to be friends, but last year he started picking on me and now I just hate him.”_

_“You shouldn’t hate anyone,” Hiiro reasoned, explaining at Duo’s indignant scowl. “It just gives them power over you.”_

_“Where’d you hear that?”_

_“My mentor.”_

_Duo’s nose scrunched up. “Is that like your dad?”_

_“I don’t have any parents,” Hiiro explained._

_The information brightened Duo’s eyes a little. “Me too!”_

_“So we’re the same,” Hiiro smiled._

_The light slowly bled from Duo’s eyes, but he seemed more relaxed when he replied, “At least we won’t be lonely.”_

_“I could make him…go away,” Hiiro offered tentatively._

_Duo’s smile grew bright while he enthused, “You’d do that?! For me?!” Hiiro’s only response was the slight reddening of his cheeks. “Thanks!” Duo grinned, then shook his head. “But I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble too.”_

_“Will they punish you?”_

_“I’ll probably have to sleep in the red cabin for a night,” Duo sighed._

_“Wanna go swimming before we go back?” Hiiro smiled._

_Duo grinned brightly again, pulling his shirt off and racing for the lake while he shouted, “Race ya!”_

**

The mess hall was smaller than he remembered, but then he was several inches shorter last time he sat at the long tables. Duo folded his long legs under him, curling into a corner and looking entirely too delicious while he sipped at this coffee and smiled. 

“You showing up sure makes me nostalgic,” he chuckled. “Remember when Relena started the food fight?”

Hiiro chuckled, recalling very well. “I thought you were responsible for that,” he smiled. 

“Me?” Duo snorted. “She’s the one that hit me upside the head with a Brussels sprout.”

“Because you called her a cow,” Hiiro snickered. 

“She shouldn’t have tried to take my seat.”

“If you hadn’t tricked her into thinking I was Prince Charming she probably wouldn’t have,” Hiiro snickered. 

“I did no such thing,” Duo smiled, sipping his coffee. “She had it bad for you long before I had anything to do with it. I just gave her an excuse.”

“And I spent the whole summer trying to fend her off,” Hiiro laughed. 

“Too bad she turned out to be so stuck up,” Duo sighed, sobering. “It’s been lonely around here without you.”

“Mr. Duo! Sally wants you down by the lake!”

“Thanks, Betty!” Duo replied. “Duty calls,” he smiled, untangling himself. “Zechs will probably be a while. You want to come along?”

“Sure.”

The trail to the lake hadn’t changed at all and there was the old, floating dock tethered right where it always had been, but the on shore dock was new and they had added a buoy net around the swimming area. 

“You’ve made improvements,” Hiiro observed. 

“The dock was donated by the people down in Rockledge,” Duo explained. “The residents even came up and helped build it when they found out our funding had been cut.”

Hiiro was well aware of the camp’s dependence on financial aid. Many of the children that attended were wards of the state or underprivileged kids that would otherwise never experience such things. 

“Duo!” 

“Hey, Sally!” he beamed, stepping aside to reveal his prize while he grinned, “Look what the cat dragged in!”

“Hiiro?” she gasped softly, stopping in her tracks before a slow smile spread over her lips. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“Hello, Miss Sally,” Hiiro smirked. 

“You’re too big for the ‘Miss’ now,” she scolded. “What on earth are you doing up here?”

“The restrictions ended last month,” Hiiro reminded her.

“Has it been three years already?” she chuckled. “I’m really sorry about what happened,” she added in a more somber tone. 

Hiiro shrugged, knowing very well it couldn’t have gone any other way. He’d known before it happened and felt no regret for his actions other than they had resulted in his separation from…

“Mickey! Don’t throw rocks!” Duo suddenly shouted, jogging toward the children frolicking in the water. 

Hiiro smiled warmly while he watched him go, recalling the days when it had been Noin shouting at Duo to keep the other kids from getting pelted in the noggin. 

“He’s come a long way,” Sally commented, turning to chuckle at Duo when he was inadvertently pulled into the water. “Who’d have thought a renegade like him would end up in charge.”

“He was never a renegade,” Hiiro countered, unable to hold his affection inside while he watched Duo toss kids this way and that. 

Sally’s mouth curled on one side. “Are you staying the day?”

“Possibly longer,” Hiiro replied absently. 

Her brow knit, but she could tell it wasn’t a time for the questions she wanted to ask and her duties were calling her away. “Duo!”

“Yeah!” he laughed, pausing in his efforts to drown the kids to haul himself toward the shore. 

“Can you stay with them for a while? Noin is covering for Zechs!”

“No problem!” Duo grinned, pulling his soggy jeans back up when they tried to slither off his hips. Hiiro swallowed, turning his eyes away until the savory expanse of Duo’s lower stomach had been covered. “You can borrow my suit if you want,” Duo offered when Sally strode away. 

“I wouldn’t want to impose…”

“Ah, come on!” Duo laughed, shaking his bangs all over him while he reasoned, “You’re already wet.”

The suit was in Duo’s cabin, which was one of the counselor’s cabins meaning he had his own, private quarters where Hiiro discovered he hadn’t learned anything about how to be tidy. He shook his head while he waded through the clutter, recalling how annoyed he’d been when he discovered Duo’s lack of enthusiasm for cleaning, but suddenly, somehow it made him feel right at home. He found the suit right where Duo indicated it would be, in the bottom drawer of the rustic dresser, but before he could extract it he was confronted with the necessity to dig through Duo’s unmentionables. 

It was so stupid, but he couldn’t bring himself to put his hand in the drawer with the silken skivvies. Just the thought of touching Duo’s underwear left him feeling oddly as if he’d violated him, but considering the way he’d come to feel about him it was no wonder. He took a deep breath and once again reprimanded himself for something he knew he couldn’t help and forced the issue, dragging the suit out and staring at it when he realized Duo had worn it over and over again. 

“Shit,” he chuckled, throwing caution to the wind and unzipping his jeans. 

It was just a swim suit and he’d be damned if he’d let it get the better of him. Duo was waiting and odd as it seemed, having gotten the chance to be with him again he wasn’t about to miss it. Duo’s presence was unexpected, but served to strengthen his resolve in his original purpose, so he pushed the heated elation pulling on Duo’s suit caused inside him aside and headed for the lake. 

“Jose! No bucket diving outside the net!” Duo shouted, making Hiiro pause to chuckle while he relieved the child of his makeshift diving bell. “You coming in or just gonna stand there and put on a show?” Duo hollered when he spotted his visitor. Hiiro pinked involuntarily, but waded into the chilly lake anyway, whereupon Duo tossed the ball that had landed beside him back to the boys who had been playing with it and went to meet him. “You okay?” he chuckled when Hiiro shivered. 

“I don’t remember it being this cold,” he stuttered, laughing at the absurdity of his predicament. 

“It isn’t once you’re in and moving around,” Duo explained while an impish light sparkled in his eyes. “All you have to do is…get moving!” he growled, suddenly springing upward and trying to dunk Hiiro, but he was as solid as ever, turning the attack to his advantage and pushing Duo head first under the water. 

“No fair!” he laughed when he burst from the water.

“What’s fair?” Hiiro giggled, backing quickly away. “You tried to drown me!”

“Just for that…” Duo grinned demonically, suddenly disappearing. 

Hiiro went instantly on guard, but it didn’t save him from getting his suit pulled down under the surface around his knees, which not only made it impossible to swim with any grace, but turned his entire head flaming red considering who had just disrobed him. But it had always been this way; somehow Duo always got the better of him no matter how hard he tried. 

**

_“Woooooow,” Kelly cooed adoringly. “You never miss!”_

_“Do it again!” Colton urged, handing Hiiro another stone._

_He glanced once at Duo’s back where he sat sulkily on the ground nearby and smirked before he let fly._

_“Direct hit!” James crowed. “You’re even better than Duo!”_

_“Is not!” Duo snapped, jumping to his feet._

_“He hits dead center every time,” Relena stated haughtily._

_“So?” Duo grumbled. “He’s not so hot.”_

_“Oh?” she smiled cleverly. “Okay, then. Let’s have a contest.”_

_“Looser buys ice cream!” Kelly sang._

_“Duo doesn’t have the money for that,” Relena pointed out._

_“I can pay my due,” he snipped. “As long as _he_ owns up when he loses,” he grinned arrogantly. _

_“All right,” Hiiro agreed._

_James, Colton and Shelly set about gathering stones while the others set the soda cans back on the fence some fifty feet away. When all was ready they squared off, Duo with his head held high and Hiiro smirking his ass off._

_“Bulls-eye!” Colton crowed when Hiiro’s first throw rang true._

_However, Duo’s can flew just as far. At first the kids were all cheering for Hiiro, but by the time the cans had been set back up three times and neither had taken a lead the support evened out._

_“Yes!” Shelly hissed, dancing about when Duo landed another blow._

_“You’ll slip up sooner or later,” Hiiro reasoned, tossing his next rock which flew unerringly into its target._

_“I’ll bet you your next shot misses,” Duo grinned._

_Hiiro snorted, but rose to the challenge. “All right, what’s the bet?”_

_“Looser has to take first dance at the Moonlight ball,” Duo smirked._

_Hiiro balked, glancing unwittingly to see Relena’s simpering expression of adoration, then squared his shoulders. “You’re on.”_

_Duo smiled, stepping up and flinging his stone, successfully knocking the can from its perch. “Alllll yours,” he grinned, bowing at the waist while he made way for Hiiro._

_There was only one can left, but it hardly mattered to Hiiro. He’d been targeting things much more interesting than soda cans for most of his life. However, he hadn’t counted on the distraction of Duo’s naked ass when he mooned him, sending his shot so wide it never even came close._

_“That’s cheating!” Colton exclaimed._

_“I win!” Duo laughed, pulling his pants back up._

_“You can’t do that!” Relena objected._

_“No one ever said so!” Duo insisted. “Right, Hiiro!? You’re not gonna renege are you?”_

_Hiiro stood perfectly still, staring at the can still standing on the fence while his face bled ghostly pale._

**

“Wait!” Duo screeched, but too late to stop Hiiro and two of the young boys from dunking him. “No fair!” he laughed, coming up spitting and sputtering and Hiiro froze when he promised, “Oh, you’re gonna pay for that!”

“Run!” he barked too late to save one of his young accomplices from getting dragged under, but he and the other made it safely to shore. 

“Traitors!” the boy being hauled from the water shouted just before he was tossed to plunk in the lake. 

“Better you than us,” the other boy laughed, high fiving Hiiro. 

“Okay,” Duo shouted in a completely different tone that got everyone’s attention at once. “Lunch is in thirty. Hit the showers!”

“Fooood!” several of the kids crowed at once while they climbed from the water and dashed off. 

“Little vermin owe me a new pair of sneakers,” Duo laughed, shaking the water out of the ones he still had on. “What?” he asked when Hiiro laughed softly while he was trying to get the water out of his ears. 

“Nothing,” Hiiro chuckled. “Just…some things never change I guess.”

“Some things never should,” Duo smiled, grimacing when he took a step and his jeans squeaked. “But this isn’t one of them,” he laughed. “Let’s go change before lunch.”

Hiiro fell into step beside him, glad that he’d put aside his misgivings and opted for the swim suit while Duo waddled through the camp bowlegged in an effort to keep his wet pants from squeaking until they reached his cabin and Hiiro realized he meant for them to go inside and change their clothes. Both of them. Together. At the same time.

“Uh…are the outhouses still in the same place?” he asked, stopping while Duo climbed the three steps to the door. 

“Yeah,” Duo nodded, grinning cleverly. “If you can remember which one is the boys.”

“I’ll figure it out,” Hiiro chuckled, taking a deep breath when he turned to leave. 

They were indeed right where they had always been, but he wasn’t at all sure if the signs hadn’t been switched when he got there. Fortunately, there was a young man coming out of the one marked ‘boys’ so he chose to use that one. It wasn’t as if he really needed to go, but he had no idea how he would have reacted to seeing Duo naked. If it was anything like he reacted when he _thought_ about Duo naked it was definitely not something he wanted him to see. He did need to change though, and was still at a loss as to how he could accomplish that without embarrassing himself when he returned to the cabin. Duo was wearing a fresh pair of jeans and camp t-shirt when he arrived, but his feet were still bare and his hair was only half braided. 

“Come on in,” Duo smiled, kicking the door open for him. “I left your things over there,” he commented, continuing with the task of weaving his long tresses. 

Hiiro’s throat had gone a little bit dry seeing it dangle in wet tendrils along the ends and though it was only one of the devastatingly attractive things he admired about Duo there had been a time when he didn’t understand. 

**

_“Ow! Will you stop pulling!”_

_“If you didn’t let it grow so long this wouldn’t happen,” Quatre grumbled, trying vainly to untangle Duo’s braid from a bush._

_“OW!”_

_“Just cut it.”_

_“NO!” Duo growled, shoving Quatre away so violently Trowa was forced to catch him so he wouldn’t fall to the ground._

_“He was only trying to help!” he snapped, holding Quatre protectively._

_“You shouldn’t say things like that to him,” Quatre reasoned. “You upset him.”_

_“No one’s cutting my hair!” Duo growled, standing protectively with his precious braid behind him in the bush._

_“Get loose yourself then!” Trowa grumbled crossly._

_“Duo?” Quatre questioned while he was led way._

_“Go on!” he cried, holding back tears of anger and frustration. “Who needs ya!”_

_However, try as he might he couldn’t see the part that was tangled and all his efforts to free himself seemed to do was entangle him more._

_“What are you doing?”_

_Duo jerked around to find Hiiro standing calmly beside him, his hands in his pockets and no expression whatsoever on his face._

_“What does it look like?” he grumbled, forcing his tired arms to try again._

_“Want some help?”_

_“It’s hopeless,” he groaned, plopping down on his butt. “I’m stuck here for life.”_

_“At least let me try,” Hiiro chuckled, coming closer to get a better look. “How’d you get tangled in a bush?”_

_“Running from Trowa.”_

_“Is Quatre okay?” Hiiro asked, inspecting the snare more closely._

_“Yeah,” Duo sighed. “He wasn’t mad, we were playing tag.”_

_“And they just left you here?”_

_“Who needs’em,” Duo grumbled. “I can look after myself.”_

_“Well,” Hiiro commented, taking hold of the two inch thick branch that had a hold of Duo’s hair. “We’ll never get you out like this,” he said snapping it in half._

_“What’dyu do!?” Duo gasped._

_“Be still,” Hiiro scolded. “I can’t get to you like that. Here, now we can sit down so I can reach.”_

_Duo gaped at the broken tree branch, then smiled at his friend whose ears crisped before he dragged him to a nearby bolder and bade him sit. It took some time, but after awhile Duo’s spirits lifted when he started to see bits of the limb being tossed on the ground._

_“Is it okay?” he asked anxiously._

_“It’ll need to be washed,” Hiiro informed him, tossing another bit of twig into the grass. “And some of it’s broken, but not too much.”_

_Duo picked up a piece of the branch and inspected it, finding only a couple of hairs in it and nodding. “Just don’t cut it.”_

_“Why not?”_

_“’Cause it’s mine,” Duo stated firmly._

_“It would still be yours if it were short,” Hiiro reasoned._

_“Yeah,” Duo nodded. “But then I’d look just like everyone else and I’m not.”_

_Hiiro couldn’t argue there, so he went back to his task, managing to break up what wouldn’t come out until there was nothing but mulch left that could be picked clean. “It needs to be brushed,” he said, running his fingers through the warm, chestnut silk._

_“Mmmm,” Duo moaned softly, leaning back into his touch._

_Hiiro’s lips curled softly while he ran his fingers through the hair again, liking the way Duo sighed and tilted his head so much that he did it again and again until the entire mass was thoroughly combed and the dinner bell cut through the air._

**

“I’ve still never cut it.”

“What?” Hiiro started, coming back to the present. 

“My hair,” Duo smiled, showing him the tasseled end of the new braid. “You were looking at the length.”

“Oh,” Hiiro smiled. “It’s really gotten long,” he commented, turning around to hide the color on his face and pull his shirt on. 

“It seems to like this length,” Duo nodded. “It stopped there last year. I have to trim it now and then when it gets thin on…the…ends.”

“Do you have a towel?” Hiiro asked, feeling suddenly uncomfortable with letting the swim suit fall the rest of the way to the floor. 

“Right,” Duo replied hastily finding him one on the foot of his bunk. 

Hiiro tucked it around his waist before slipping the shorts off and pulling his jeans on, then laid it over the back of a chair. “How long have you been a councilor?” 

“This is my first year on the payroll,” Duo replied while he milled about tidying up. “But I did the Jr. councilor thing last year and the year before. “I guess after what happened they figured I wasn’t as big a screw up as they thought.”

“I’m glad they listened,” Hiiro smiled. 

“Well,” Duo shrugged, leaving off his fidgeting for a moment. “You sort of made it hard for them not to.”

“It wasn’t like I had a choice,” Hiiro replied. 

“Sure you did,” Duo smiled. 

They stood quietly regarding one another for a moment before Hiiro stated quite clearly, “I’d do it again.”

The smile that blossomed on Duo’s lips sent a fevered chill racing down Hiiro’s spine, but any response he might have had was lost when two young girls banged on the cabin door. 

“Duo! You coming!?”

“Be right there!” he chuckled, but the sound of it was off somehow. “Hungry?” 

“Starving,” Hiiro laughed. “I’d forgotten how swimming can affect your appetite.”

“Well, come on,” Duo smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. “I’ve got just the thing for you.”

Hiiro eyed him sideways as they gained the path outside. “It’s not that slop they used to pass off as sloppy-joe’s is it?”

“Naw,” Duo grinned impishly while he asked, “Remember the mystery meat?” Hiiro shivered. “I finally found out what it really is.”

As it turned out the mystery meat was a beef patty drowned in brown gravy, which Duo had banished from the menu the moment he’d been given a say in the matter. Hiiro was delighted to find a salad bar along one wall had been added and took great pleasure in the shepherd’s pie that actually had real corn buried beneath the mash potato crust. 

“This place is much classier than it used to be,” Hiiro observed, helping himself to another big bite of his meal. 

“The vegetables are actually less expensive than the mystery meat,” Duo explained. “Leaves more funds for real food, but its Clara’s volunteer staff that makes the difference.”

“Clara?”

“She owns a diner in Rockledge. When she found out we were in danger of shutting down she offered to help restructure kitchen expenses. We get most of our paper goods donated by vendors because of her and half the young girls that work for her also put in volunteer time cooking and helping clean up.”

“She sounds like a remarkable woman,” Hiiro commented, finishing off his tasty lunch. 

“She spent her summers here as a child,” Duo nodded. “I guess she just didn’t want to see the camp close either.”

“The place is so lively,” Hiiro observed, noting the mess hall was packed with energetic kids. 

“That’s because we don’t turn kids away just because they can’t pay,” Duo smiled. 

“Making money was never what this place was about,” Hiiro agreed, smiling softly at the huge grin that brightened Duo’s face. 

“Hey, Noin!” Duo suddenly shouted, waving at the door. 

Hiiro turned to see the short haired woman who so often stood guard over them during their summer activities and smiled. 

“Who’s your frien…? Hiiro?” she gasped, recognizing him when she came closer. 

“Hi, Noin,” he smiled, rising to greet her. “You look great.”

“Thanks,” she smiled, taking a seat. “I can’t believe it. Has it really been three years?”

“Last month,” Duo smiled. 

“You know,” she stated. “I always thought it was totally unfair of them to ban you from camp.”

“The judgment was fair considering,” Hiiro assured her. 

“Well, I still think it was harsh,” she insisted. “You were only protecting a friend.”

“Is Zechs back yet?” Duo asked, changing the subject when Hiiro began to fidget. 

“Not yet,” she sighed. “Didn’t you hear?”

“What?”

“They didn’t have Tatima’s medicine in town. I guess it’s something uncommon, so he has to stay with her until some is brought in tomorrow.”

“She can’t be in the woods without it,” Duo explained when Hiiro blinked curiously. “Can you stay or would you rather go into town and speak with him there?”

“You came to see Zechs?” Noin asked, flashing a glance at Duo. 

“I’m not in any hurry,” Hiiro evaded, smiling at his long haired companion. 

“Great!” Duo grinned. “Then you can help out with Tell-a-Tale tonight.”

“Oh gods,” Hiiro groaned, making Noin laugh. “Do I have to?”

“Too late to back out now,” Duo chuckled, catching a spit ball that was sailing at Hiiro’s head. 

**

_“Settle down everyone,” Noin soothed, calling the converted mess hall to order. Most of the children did as instructed, turning curious eyes toward the front while Sally took over._

_“For those who are new to Camp Widehesash, welcome,” she began. “Those of you who are returning…Duo…sit down…” A soft murmur of laughter rolled through the room when he slowly returned to his seat, but Sally never missed a beat, “…know that we like to play a game on the first night to help get to know each other a little better. This game is called…”_

_“TELL-A-TALE!” the regulars crowed when they were prompted._

_Sally smiled, indicating Noin should begin. “The game is simple,” she explained. “Noin will toss the ball to one of you and that person will tell us something they did over the past year, then pass the ball to someone else.”_

_“Me first!”_

_“Pick me!”_

_Sally nodded to her partner who grinned and launched the ball high into the air where no less than five children tried to catch it at once, knocking it this way and that until it finally settled in the hands of Chang Wufei. He blinked, then blinked again before turning his black eyes to Sally._

_“Go on,” she encouraged. “What interesting things happened to you this year?”_

_“I turned fourteen,” Wufei replied, gaining a lame chuckle from the other kids until he added, “And got married.”_

_“You did not!” Kelly exclaimed._

_“No way!” Duo gasped._

_“Seriously?” Quatre gaped._

_“It is the custom in my clan,” Wufei explained, sounding bored with the subject._

_“Well,” Sally breathed unsteadily. “Who’s next?”_

_Wufei tossed the ball into the air where it came down squarely on Trowa’s nose._

_“Trowa!” Sally smiled with relief. “Tell us what grand adventures you had with your circus this year!”_

_“My sister took up knife throwing,” he deadpanned, remaining passive when his peers oo’ed and ah’ed while Sally went pale. “And the Manager gave me a lion cub to train.”_

_“Really?” Shelly beamed. “What’s its name!?”_

_Trowa’s eyes flickered to Quatre, then back again before he answered, “Raberba.”_

_“Really?” Quatre smiled gently, being the only one in the room who really understood._

_Trowa offered him a half smile before tossing the ball directly into his hands._

_“Oh,” he chirped in surprise. “Um…well…I spent part of the year in Arabia with Rashid, but last month father took me to L4 so I could learn to pilot.”_

_“You got to fly a spaceship?!”_

_“What was it like!?”_

_“Did you shoot anybody down?!”_

_“Where there any aliens?!”_

_“Calm down!” Sally cut in, saving Quatre from any further questioning._

_He favored her with a grateful smile before heaving the ball at Duo’s head, but he only grinned and snatched it uncannily from the air before standing and climbing up on the table to make his speech._

_“Any of you ever seen a mobile suit!?” he grinned, gaining a loud gasp from the group. “Well, I have!” he boasted. “Got to sit in it and everything!”_

_“You liar,” Colton laughed. “You’ve never even seen a mobile suit.”_

_“Have too!” Duo countered. “It was so big I was no bigger than its eye!” The kids gasped and gathered around._

_“How’d you do that?” Shelly asked._

_“Me and some other kids broke into the warehouse…”_

_“Duo,” Sally scolded gently._

_“They all got caught, but I’m smarter than that,” he went on. “So I hid in the cock pit of this huge mobile suit.”_

_“You went inside?” Relena gasped._

_“Yep!” Duo beamed. “Got to aim the guns and everything!”_

_“Why aren’t you in jail then?” James reasoned._

_“’Cause I didn’t get caught, dummy,” Duo explained with a roll of his eyes._

_“Duo!” Sally barked sternly and he left off with a wide grin, tossing the ball right at Hiiro’s chest._

_Hiiro’s hand snapped up to catch it, but his eyes never actually left Duo’s while doing so._

_“Here we go,” Sally smiled, seeming relived. “Hiiro. This is your first year. Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?”_

_“I’d rather not,” he replied._

_“Ah, come on, man!” Duo grumbled, sitting on the edge of the table before him. “There’s gotta be something you can tell us.”_

_Hiiro thought about it for a minute, then replied, “My mentor and I visited several colonies last year.”_

_“Does you’re dad take you on business trips?” Quatre asked._

_“He is not my father,” Hiiro explained._

_“But you get to go to outer space,” Shelly smiled dreamily._

_“I’ll bet you’re a great help to him on your travels,” Relena beamed._

_“I do my duty,” Hiiro replied._

_“Why aren’t you up there now?” James asked skeptically._

_“He felt I needed to be…socialized,” Hiiro explained._

_“Sounds like you’re his pet instead of his son,” Colton laughed._

_“What’dyu know!?” Duo snapped, snatching the ball from Hiiro’s hand to bean him on the head with._

_“I’m not his son,” Hiiro reiterated._

_“Geez!” Colton grumbled, rubbing the red spot on his forehead._

_“All right,” Sally cut in. “That’s enough. James, it’s your turn.”_

**

“Where’s Calli and Mark?” Duo shouted, gathering his troop to return to the main camp.

“They were here a minute ago,” Hiiro replied, looking around. 

“Betty,” Duo called one of the girls. “Keep an eye on things for a minute,” he told her, grinning playfully at Hiiro before fading into the trees. 

Curious, Hiiro followed, uncertain what he was up to until he spotted the two missing teens behind a bush doing things they most certainly were not supposed to be doing. He snickered, covering the sound with his hand when he saw Duo sneaking up on them. He could tell he had something in his hand, but didn’t realize it was alive until he dropped it on Cali’s head and ducked back while she screamed and ran off with Mark blinking in astonishment while he chased after her. 

“You are so mean,” Hiiro chuckled when Duo returned. 

“It’s better than having to write them up for making out,” Duo shrugged. 

Hiiro smiled while he followed him back to the others, recalling what it was like to be thirteen or fourteen years old. 

**

_“TROWA! COME DOWN!”_

_“Can you see the lake?!” Duo asked excitedly while they watched their gangly friend walk out a long branch extending off the southern side of the tree he’d climbed._

_“TROWA!” Quatre gasped, clapping a worried hand over his mouth._

_“Someone’s fishing in a skiff,” he revealed with smug satisfaction._

_“Come down!” Quatre insisted again. “If you fall there’s no one to put the pieces back together you know!”_

_“He’s not an egg,” Duo snorted._

_“Nor would he survive such a fall,” Wufei reasoned, shading his eyes while he gazed upward at their daring friend._

_“Naw,” Trowa smiled, catching Quatre’s eye before side stepping. “Even if I fell,” he grinned while Quatre shouted in horror when his body began its rapid descent, but just before all hope was lost he caught hold of a branch, altering his deadly course and flipped head over heals to land confidently in front of him and smiled, “I’d survive.”_

_Quatre stared at him in wide eyed wonder for a moment before his pale face suddenly scrunched up in wild fury. “YOU IDIOT!” he crowed, smacking him repeatedly while he laughed and backed away._

_“Cool,” Duo grinned in admiration._

_“An unnecessary risk,” Wufei commented. “There is nothing to be gained from showing off.”_

_“Says you,” Duo grinned, watching while Quatre succeeded in knocking Trowa to the ground and tried to pin him._

**

The day had been spent in very good company. Duo dragged him through every task assigned to him during that first hectic day, but Hiiro enjoyed every moment of it, cherishing the time he got to be with him as much as he had during that long summer. It seemed like it might never end at times while they lazed in the summer sun. There had been days of never ending wonder while they explored the mountain, discovering all its inhabitants, be they friend or foe, but it was the nights he enjoyed the most. It was only after dark that he got Duo all to himself and they would sit up for hours just talking about everything and nothing at all. He’d never known a happier time and came to dread the day when his mentor would return and take him away again, so he decided he would ask to come back. Back to the only place where he’d ever been allowed to be a child, back to where he at last felt at home…back to Duo.

But it hadn’t happened that way. 

**

_“It wasn’t my fault!”_

_“I know that’s what you believe,” Sally sighed. “But you broke Colton’s arm and that is just not acceptable behave…”_

_“He tried to hit Hiiro over the head with a brick!”_

_“Duo…”_

_“He was only trying to protect me!” Duo cried._

_“Calm down,” Sally soothed. “It’s all right.”_

_“No,” Duo sobbed. “It’s not…he tried to hurt Hiiro.”_

_“That is no reason for you to have broken his arm,” Sally reasoned._

_“He had it coming!”_

_“Enough,” Sally spoke sternly. “I’m afraid it’s out of my hands now,” she sighed, shaking her head. “You’ll have to stay here until Mr. Valentine decides what to do about it.”_

_“Who’s he?” Duo sniffed._

_“He’s head of security for all the camps in this state,” she explained. “He’s here now trying to reason with Colton’s parents and keep you from being banned or sent to juvenile correction.” Duo’s eyes widened before his face set in a stubborn grimace. “Just stay here,” Sally sighed. “Mr. Valentine will be by to speak to you shortly.”_

_Duo rubbed at his nose wondering what his fate might be when she left him to stew. She wasn’t gone two minutes before Hiiro stuck his nose in the window._

_“Duo?”_

_“Hiiro!” he grinned, dashing forward. “What’re you doing here?”_

_“Why did you do that?” Hiiro hissed. “I could’ve handled him!”_

_“He tried to bash your head in!” Duo argued. “What was I supposed to do?”_

_“Thanks,” Hiiro grumbled._

_“You’re welcome,” Duo groused._

_“What’re they going to do?” Hiiro asked._

_“I don’t know,” Duo sighed. “But from the sound of it I’m in deep…shhh!” he suddenly hissed shoving Hiiro’s head back outside just before the door opened._

**

“Hiiro?”

“Hn?” he hummed distractedly, then realized he’d been day dreaming again. “Right,” he smiled, tossing the ball into the air. 

Tell-a-Tale was the last duty Duo had to perform before he was free for the evening and the game lasted much too long for Hiiro’s liking. Duo had agreed to take a walk with him around the lake and he was most anxious to begin. By the time the game came to a close and the kids were ushered off to their cabins for the night his anxiety had risen to a point of jittery nerves and when Duo touched his shoulder softly, he jumped two inches out of his seat. 

“You okay?” Duo chuckled. 

“Sorry,” Hiiro laughed along. 

“Ready?”

It was time. He nodded and followed the beautiful young man outside, waving to Noin while she guided the young to their proper abodes. The night was warm, but devoid of the day’s vibrant heat. Hiiro had always loved the scent of the pinewood forest and breathed it in while they strode slowly along the bank. 

“You haven’t told me what you’ve been doing for the past three years,” Duo commented. 

“Finding my way,” Hiiro smiled. 

“That’s a bit vague, Hiiro,” Duo chuckled. 

“After what happened here I was sent to a correctional facility.”

“Oh,” Duo replied softly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It worked out well,” Hiiro explained. “I learned a lot during my stay there that helped me turn it into a profitable solution.”

“You’re loosing me,” Duo laughed. 

“Sorry,” Hiiro chuckled. “To put it more honestly, I admitted myself when I turned my mentor in.” Duo raised a brow that indicated he partially understood. “What we had been doing wasn’t exactly legal,” Hiiro confirmed. “But I was too young to prosecute at the time, so they gave me the option of attending a school that specializes in criminal rehabilitation.”

“Shit,” Duo exclaimed. “What in the hell was that guy using you for?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Hiiro shrugged. “It was wrong and after I met you…I finally understood.” Duo smiled warmly, giving him that funny feeling in his gut again, but he managed to go on. “So I turned him in and opted for school.”

“And how did that turn into a ‘profitable solution’?” Duo inquired. 

“It seems I have a talent for programming,” Hiiro smiled. “I create custom OS systems for interplanetary ships.”

Duo whistled his appreciation. “Must be nice,” he grinned. “Who would have thought you’d end up one of the rich and famous?”

“Rich, yes,” Hiiro nodded. “But I prefer to work behind the scenes. No one in the company even knows who I am,” he chuckled. 

“Still as aloof as ever,” Duo laughed. “I’m glad you’re doing so well,” he smiled. “Honestly, if anyone ever deserved a second chance it’s you.”

“We all deserve a second chance,” Hiiro smiled. 

“I don’t know,” Duo shrugged, stopping to look out over the moonlit lake. “Some of us just weren’t dealt a very good hand.”

“That all depends on how you look at it.”

Duo’s eyes shifted back to his companion and Hiiro felt that old shiver run down his spine when he asked, “What is it that you see?”

“Beauty,” Hiiro replied with such conviction Duo’s eyes grew wide. “The sort of beauty one finds in the sky on a hot summer’s night,” Hiiro went on stepping closer. “Or in the heart of a storm.” Duo licked his lips and glanced away, but did not retreat. “I see beauty in everything that you are,” he told him, daring to reach out and touch his chin. He felt his knees go weak when Duo shuddered softly while he turned endless, deep violet eyes on him. “Duo…”

“One would think you had feelings for me,” he whispered softly. “Considering everything you’ve done.”

Hiiro’s mind flashed back to a dark night when his best friend stood in silent defiance against a fate he had been directly responsible for. 

**

_“Mr. Maxwell,” Mr. Valentine addressed the frightened boy when he entered the red cabin. Duo stood straight and tall, glaring defiantly at him while he filled the small room. “Do you understand your situation?” he asked._

_“Colton tried to bash Hiiro’s head in,” Duo explained._

_“The issue here is the injury to Colton’s arm,” Valentine replied, looking the cabin over. It was dark outside and the red cabin was set apart from the others as a sort of time out for those who misbehaved._

_“He had it coming,” Duo insisted._

_“I see you feel no remorse for your actions,” Valentine commented, turning to lock the door. “From what I read in your file you’re a very busy boy,” he commented, turning back around. “I must say, you’re in trouble more than any other child in this entire camp.”_

_“They started it,” Duo defended._

_“I’m afraid that isn’t good enough,” he smiled, stepping closer. “You obviously do not respond to the usual reprimand. Therefore,” he grinned, pulling a switch from his trousers, “I shall be forced to use other means.” Duo’s jaw set firmly until he ordered, “Pull down your pants.”_

_“No way!”_

_SMACK!_

_Duo recoiled, turning to gape at him while he held the red whelp on his cheek._

_“Now,” Valentine grinned, raising the switch again._

_Duo clawed angrily at his pants, ripping them down and placing his hands on the bed with his bottom exposed._

_“Now you’re beginning to understand,” Valentine told him, coming to stand beside him._

_Duo gritted his teeth when the first blow fell, trying hard not to cry out, but by the time the fifth stung his skin he was unable to stop the biting tears or the gasping grunts that escaped his throat. Upon the eighth lash, Hiiro’s head appeared in the window behind Valentine’s back, but Duo shook his head forcing him to retreat, then finally the beating ceased._

_“You’re a strong boy,” Valentine panted, more out of breath than Duo, commanding, “Stay,” when he tried to stand up. “You don’t think that’s sufficient punishment for having broken someone’s arm?” he chuckled, moving to stand behind him. “I’ve disciplined stronger boys than you,” he boasted. “And every one of them has thanked me in the end.”_

_“What’re you doin!?” Duo gasped when he felt a hand grip his buttocks._

_“Be quiet!” Valentine growled, pushing him forward onto the bunk where he pinned him by twisting his arm behind his back and laying his weight on him. “You’re all the same!” he hissed, clawing at his belt._

_“Get off me!” Duo snarled, fighting hard, but he was too strong._

_“Relax,” Valentine chuckled breathlessly. “It’ll be over in a minute and I guarantee you’ll be a man when I’m finished!”_

_“Hiiro!”_

_Before the man had a chance to spin around he was cracked upside the head with something hard and went sprawling onto the floor. A moment later Hiiro had him by the shirt collar and was punching him so hard in the face, blood splattered the wall with each blow. Duo watched horror struck for a time until he suddenly rushed forward and grabbed Hiiro’s arm._

_“Stop it!”_

_“He tried to…!” Hiiro growled in a tone no human should be able to utter, tossing Duo off like a rag doll before jerking the arm off a chair and clubbing the man in the head with it._

_“NO!” Duo wailed, diving on him and knocking him to the floor, but Hiiro was quickly back on his feet and headed for the unconscious Valentine. “Hiiro! Please,” Duo sobbed. “You’re gonna kill him!”_

_“Yes,” Hiiro deadpanned, jerking the man up by his hair so he had a clean shot at his throat._

_“But…you can’t do that!” Duo cried pitifully._

_Hiiro paused, seeming uncertain and asked, “Why?”_

_“Because,” Duo sniffled. “You ain’t a murderer,” he sobbed on a shaky breath. “It ain’t right to kill; didn’t anyone ever tell you that?”_

_Hiiro looked at him where he sat on the floor naked from the waist down sobbing like a baby and trying desperately to save the man who had just tried to rape him. It didn’t make sense, he couldn’t reason why Duo would care if he died, then it hit him. It wasn’t Valentine Duo was crying for, it was Hiiro. He didn’t want Hiiro to suffer because he’d taken his life. Duo launched himself on him the moment Hiiro dropped him and sobbed._

_“It’s all right,” Hiiro soothed. “I won’t kill him.”_

_“It ain’t right to kill,” Duo choked, clinging tightly to his neck._

_“It’s okay,” Hiiro told him, holding him tight. “I understand now.”_

_“What in the…oh my god!” Sally gasped, seeing Valentine laying in a bloody mess on the floor. “Noin! Call an ambulance! What happened here!”_

_When the story came out it was clear that Valentine had been using his position to molest children for some time, causing most of the charges against Hiiro to be dropped. However, the brutality of the beating he had bestowed upon him revealed a frightening side of his psyche, resulting in his being banned from camp and sent to a correctional facility._

**

Hiiro looked deep into his eyes and knew without a shadow of a doubt, “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” 

“Does that mean…?” Duo whispered, grunting softly when Hiiro brought their mouths together in a chaste little kiss that left his knees weak and stars dancing in his eyes. 

“I love you,” Hiiro confessed, swallowing hard. “I always have.”

“Is that why you came back?”

The chuckle that escaped him wasn’t exactly what Duo was expecting, so he drew away and cocked a brow. “I didn’t know you were here, actually,” Hiiro confessed. “Honestly, I figured you were in space since you were too old for camp anymore. I never dreamed I’d get lucky enough to find you here.”

“Then why did you come?”

“Duo,” Hiiro breathed, taking his face in both hands. “This is the last place I got to see your face…”

“Stop,” Duo gasped, closing his eyes. “Please, just let me live in this moment forever.”

Hiiro smiled brightly, moving closer while he softly intoned, “Then we’d miss out on this one,” as he kissed him again. 

Duo groaned so sumptuously while Hiiro slowly tasted him it was all he could do to keep from pushing him down on the ground and ravaging him right there, but Duo one upped him again. 

“Come on!” he gasped, snagging his hand and dragging him back toward the camp. When they reached his cabin they laughed at his inability to open the door when he had to try the latch twice, but then the door was behind them and the lock was in place and Duo was suddenly in his arms. It felt so damn good to hold him, to feel his heat and the frantic groping of his hands, but it was all moving too fast. 

“Wait,” Hiiro breathed, gripping Duo’s wrist to slow their feverish grasping. 

“What?” Duo panted blindly and Hiiro swallowed hard when he saw the glazed passion in his eyes. 

“Please,” Hiiro begged, wrapping him up smoothly in his arms. “We’ve waited so long…let me savor this.”

“If anyone knocks on that door I hope they get struck by lightning,” Duo rasped, laying his head back so that Hiiro could get a better taste of his throat. 

Fortunately, no one did knock and they were left to their explorations until the dawn. Duo’s cabin was much more comfortable than Hiiro recalled the kids’ cabins had been, having a double bed instead of the hard bunks and they’d tested the springs a number of times during the night. He had hoped that somehow this road would lead him back to Duo’s side, that he would get the chance to tell him how he felt, but he hadn’t dared dream that Duo would reciprocate his feelings so profoundly. They got little sleep that night, but Hiiro was content to lie awake and just watch him breathe. However, that game ended when Duo stirred just after dawn and smiled happily. 

“Mornin,” he sighed, rolling deeper into Hiiro’s arms. 

“Morning,” Hiiro smiled, kissing his hair. 

“What time is it?”

Hiiro peered at the clock. “Seven.”

“Mmmm,” Duo moaned happily. “Another hour.”

“You get to sleep in?”

“I’m on late duty tonight,” Duo explained snuggling closer. 

Well, that worked for Hiiro so he decided to take advantage of the time, rolling over on top of him and kissing him soundly. Duo groaned deliciously, spreading his knees to let his lover settle, but both of them snapped to attention when the door opened. 

“Duo? Are you…shit!” Zechs barked, backing out the door, then he was suddenly back. “Hiiro!?”

“Hi,” he smiled sheepishly, slowly sliding from between Duo’s thighs. 

“Duo?!” Zechs gaped. 

“Is Tatima okay?” Duo asked, drawing the sheet more securely around his naked body. 

“She’s…what in the hell is going on?” Zechs asked, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “I thought you were coming up here to…”

“Nothing’s changed,” Hiiro cut in. 

“To what?” Duo asked suspiciously. 

“I told you I didn’t know you were here,” Hiiro explained. 

“I thought we had a deal,” Zechs interjected. 

“What deal?” Duo demanded. 

“When I found out the camp was in trouble I put a bid in to buy it,” Hiiro explained. 

“You came here to buy us out?” Duo asked going pale. 

“Not exactly,” Hiiro went on. “My company is going to supplement your funding with donations. It’s perfectly legitimate and will ensure the camp remains open.”

“Wh…why would you do that?” Duo stammered. 

“Because,” Hiiro smiled taking his hand. “This was where I found you,” he told him, kissing it warmly. “I couldn’t let it go. And once I was a partial owner they couldn’t stop me from looking in the files for your address.”

“You bought the camp so you could find me?” Duo laughed. 

“You’re still going through with it, right?” Zechs asked nervously. 

“Of course,” Hiiro chuckled, cupping Duo’s face. 

“All right then,” Zechs smiled. “I’ll just leave you two to…*ahem*…right.”

“Zechs?” Duo smiled, already sinking down into the sheets. 

“Hn?”

“Mind if I take a couple of days off?” Duo asked, pulling Hiiro close. “I think the new boss might need reorientation.”

Zechs face pinked in high contrast to his white hair and he uttered a quick, “Take as long as you want,” as he exited and locked the door behind him. 

“He has a key to your cabin?” Hiiro grumbled. 

“He’s the administrator,” Duo chuckled. “He has a key to all the cabins. Asshole doesn’t know what it means to knock anymore.”

“Remind me to have the lock changed,” Hiiro grinned, crawling under the sheet with him. 

“You really bought the camp just to find me?” Duo smiled, tugging him close. 

“I’d have found you anyway,” Hiiro replied, kissing him sweetly. 

“How long can you stay?”

“Until I convince you to come with me.”

“Camp’s only six weeks long, you know?” Duo chuckled. 

Hiiro rose up, not having thought of that. “What do you do for the rest of the year?”

Duo’s smile turned decidedly playful when he replied, “I pilot deep space, resource recon ships for Quatre.”

Hiiro laughed out loud, already understanding that their chosen professions would fit together as well as they did and dove in for another taste of the one thing he knew he would never get enough of. 

owari :)

**Author's Note:**

> Write it, draw it, create it, sing it, SHARE IT. ~ Sunhawk 2019


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